1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a recording apparatus that performs recording on a medium.
2. Related Art
In the related art, in a recording apparatus, a distance (gap) between a recording head which discharges ink on a medium and the medium is changed so as to correspond to a thickness of a medium, which is different in accordance with a type of medium, and to maintain recording quality on the medium. In addition, when the recording head is not used, the recording head is capped by a cap member which is contactable with and separable from the recording head so as to prevent a nozzle, through which ink is discharged, from drying or to maintain the recording head in an appropriate state.
There is provided a recording apparatus that includes a gap adjusting unit for changing the gap and maintain the changed gap (see JP-A-2013-63617). In the recording apparatus disclosed in JP-A-2013-63617, the gap adjusting unit is provided in a carriage including a recording head and includes a sliding member which slides on a guide member and a cam member which is supported by the sliding member and adjusts a gap.
The cam member has a step-like cam surface which abuts on the sliding member. In the recording apparatus, the cam member has a structure to be interposed between a housing of the carriage and the sliding member in a direction in which the gap is changed. The cam member moves relative to the sliding member, which causes an abutting position of the cam surface with the sliding member to be changed. As a result, the recording apparatus has a configuration in which a position of the housing of the carriage is changed with respect to the sliding member in the direction in which the gap is changed and a gap between the medium and the recording head is adjusted.
In addition, the recording apparatus includes a bias member which biases the sliding member to the carriage with the cam member interposed therebetween, in the direction in which the gap is changed. However, in the configuration, a bias force of the bias member acts in the direction in which the gap is changed. As a result, when the gap is switched to another gap, the bias force by the bias member acts as a load on the gap adjusting unit. In this manner, loads increase during a gap switching operation of the gap adjusting unit.
Incidentally, there is also provided a recording apparatus that includes the cap member by which the recording head is capped when the recording head is not used (see JP-A-2010-201911). As illustrated in FIG. 17, the recording apparatus includes a cap member 88 which is provided at a position below a recording head 86 at a home position in a moving region of a carriage 84 and which is movable in the direction in which the gap is changed. An engagement section 90 is provided integral with the cap member 88. In addition, when the engagement section 90 is pressed by the carriage 84 in an apparatus width direction, the cap member 88 moves along a slit 92 provided in a moving direction of the carriage 84.
Specifically, when a housing 94′ of the carriage 84 comes into contact with an engagement section 90′ and the engagement section 90′ is pressed and is caused to move toward the home position side (−X axial direction side in FIG. 17), a cap member 88′ moves toward the home position side and starts moving toward the recording head 86′ in an apparatus height direction. Then, the cap member 88 comes into contact with the recording head 86. Further, the carriage 84 decelerates while moving to the home position in a state in which the cap member 88 is in contact with the recording head 86, and the carriage 84 stops at the home position. In this manner, it is possible for the recording head 86 to be reliably capped by the cap member 88.
When the carriage 84 disclosed in JP-A-2010-201911 has the gap adjusting unit disclosed in JP-A-2013-63617, that is, the configuration, in which the cam member is biased to the housing in the direction in which the gap is changed, a force resistant to a press force of the cap member 88 during the capping is needed to prevent the carriage 84 from separating from the guide member during the capping and the bias force of the bias member increases and acts as a load on the gap adjusting unit. As a result, the loads increase during the gap switching operation.
In addition, in a case where the carriage 84 disclosed in JP-A-2010-201911 does not have the configuration, in which the cam member is biased to the housing in the direction in which the gap is changed, there is a concern that the carriage 84 will be lifted from the guide member by the press force of the cap member 88 during the capping so as to separate from the guide member. Here, for example, when a regulation section is provided on the guide member and regulates a shift of the sliding member in the direction in which the gap is changed, the shift of the sliding member is regulated in the direction in which the gap is changed. As a result, the carriage 84 is separated from the sliding member during capping.
In this state, in a case where the carriage 84 decelerates approaching the home position, an inertial force obtained by multiplying the weight of the cam member by an acceleration of a carriage during deceleration is applied to the cam member. As a result, there is a concern that the cam member is likely to unexpectedly move with respect to the carriage 84 such that a gap between the medium and the recording head will be changed. There is a concern that the cam member will unexpectedly move with respect to the carriage 84 even during acceleration when the carriage 84 moves to a recording region side of the medium from the home position.
In addition, when the carriage 84 is lifted and separated from the guide member even in a state in which the carriage is not caused to move, there is a concern that the cam member will unexpectedly move with respect to the carriage due to vibration or the like.